Arch supporting shoe



Jan. 23, 1940. ,I H P, GQULD 2,188,182

ARCH SUPPORTING SHOE Filed Nov. 18, 1958 fev hm* j 21 M m 21 l l Patented Jan. 23, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE ARCH SUPPORTING SHOE Horace Parker Gould, Boston, Mass. Application November 18, 1938, Serial No.4 241,109

My present invention is a. novel and improved shoe.

1 Claim.

' The invention is more particularly directed to a flexible foot-supporting shoe structure.

Heretofore, many attempts have been made t0 develop'the foot-supporting shoes wherein a supmeans.

required individual foot fitting or special manufacture, not being suitable for mass production or quantity output as standard articles of footwear, and all such prior devices were objectionable because of extra expense, special operations,

special adjustments, securing means, and the like.

In my present ilexible foot-supporting shoe structure, I have devised an improved flexible supporting member which is automatically advjustable to the wearer and .which can be permanently incorporated into the shoe structure during the manufacture of the shoe and is, therefore, suitable for mass and quantity production in a standard form of footwear and for any size or type of shoe.

Being automatic'in its yielding support for the instep or arch portion of the foot and imparting a yielding lifting or supporting tension, my improved shoe thus adjusts itself to Variations in the foot of the wearer, constituting, in effect, a yielding support both lengthwise and widthwise to which I have given the name of arch cradle.

AV further feature of the present invention consists in the arrangement and construction whereby the yieldingarch cradling or supporting member of the elastic material is not in contact with the foot of the wearer,'thereby eliminating the objection as Well as the distorting elect of many prior ankle brace supports which usually lifted across the entire foot of the wearer in an.

undesirable pinching action.

portion of the foot of the wearer.

A still further and most important feature con- (cll. .a6-71) sists in` my construction .whereby the lifting member is permanently incorporated in the shoe andv particularly in a welt shoe by the inseam stitches which hold the upper and insole together Vand which also are utilized to hold the o lower edge portion of theA yielding supportingmember. Such supporting member is positioned widthwise of the shoe under a part of the insole and `thence is brought upwardly and secured to the 10 opposite side of the shoe upper near the topportion. While I have herein illustrated my improved shoe and process as appliedto the welt type of shoe structure, it may be equally advantageously l5 employed in so-called McKay or Littleway types of shoes. l y

Further features and advantages will be hereinafter more fully pointed out and claimed.

Referring toV the drawing illustrating a 20 preferred embodiment of my improved flexible arch-supporting shoe structure,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the completed shoe; Fig. 2 is .asectional lengthwise view, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on'vthe line` 3--3 of Fig. 2.

As shown in the drawing, the shoe illustrated comprises upper material l, lining 2, insole 3, an outsole 4 and filling material 5, a heel 6 completing the exterior of the shoe, and a sock'lining 'I being fitted at the heel portion. The shoe illustrated in the drawing is of the lace shoe type, and in carrying out my present process as herein illustrated, I rst prepare the insole 3 by splitting the same rearwardly thru the heel forwardly to l approximately the ball of the foot, as best shown in Fig. 2, leaving a lower layer Ill of the insole and. ,an upper flap or layer l2'. The lower or main portion of this insole Ill, together with the forepart 3 constituting the main insole, is proi vided with the usual welt sewingrib l5 to which the welt I6 is secured by the usual inseam stitch-` ing 20, and the outsole 4 is secured to the welt .I6 by the usual outsole stitching 2l, as best shown in Fig. 3. My novel supporting member 25 consists of a flexible or elastic strip of suitable width tov extent' lengthwise of the shoe for a substantial distance. approximately as shown in Fig. 2, to provide a rm but yielding or cradle-like support for the l instep or ankle of the wearer, the material preferably being elastic webbing with a suflicient -stretchability to allow the same to yield both lengthwise and widthwise. 'I'his member 25 is assembled with the upper materials on a last and method consists in rst lasting or drawing the\ member 25 to a substantial tension, then securing the same by the removable lasting tacks while the upper'materials are lasted and secured, although both may be pulled and lasted and secured simultaneously by the same lasting tacks, if desired. The vextending edge portion of the flexible member 25, after the inseaming 20 has been applied, will then .be trimmed ol with the rest of the upper materials, the filling applied;

and the outsole 4 fitted, whereupon the outsole stitching operationis formed whereby the stitching 2l secures the outsole and welt permanently together.

'I'he lasting operations above described are readily accomplished as the exible member A25 can be drawn across the bottom of the last between the insole portions I 0 and I2, and the same worked around the edge of the main insole part I0 "in the same manner that the upper materials I vand 2 are worked around and over the edge of the insole and then secured thereto. The lasting operation, pulling the upper materials andthe member 25 into lasted position, is of coursey performed progressively and as the same are secured by tacks, staples, or the like to the main insole portion I0. Thus, even though the principal tension and stretching ofthe flexible member 25 is exerted at the marginal edge portion during this lasting, as soon as the last is withdrawn the stretch imparted during the lasting to the member 25 will be readily equalized throughout the entire extent of the member 25 from the inseam fastener 20 to the upper fastener 26. It is also possible to reverse the operation jus described and to secure the member 25 during the regular lasting action, putting in staples or the inseam stitching 20 and then after the last is withdrawn secure the upper edge portion of the member 25 to the upper I and 2'by the stitching 25, exerting a lifting or slight straining action on the member 25 to lift the insole portion I2 sumciently and then put in the stitching 25 or secure the same by stapling, eyelets, or other securing I means, even the modern types of shoe adhesives being sufficient for this purpose. Upon withdrawal of the last the inherent tension of the member 25, due to the lasting, will normally act to lift the foot-contacting portion I2 of the insole slightly and thus afford the automatic and yielding exibility, arch-supporting action to .the foot of the wearer when fitted in the shoe.

- If desired, the rear portion of the layer I2 may bel and preferably is secured by the heel-nailing operation, the heel nails going entirely thru the outsole and both layers to the upper, and being clenched as usual by a heel-clenching plate on the last, whereupon after the last is withdrawn the sock lining 1 may be supplied. l Thus, it will be seen that I have produced flexible foot-supporting shoe structure without expensive methods or unusual machines, operations, and individual fitting, which structure will be automatically self-fitting to L the foot of theV wearer and which, being rigidly secured at each end, first lifts the foot-contacting surface of the insole member I2 in a substantially even direction owing to therigidity and strength of the' material of which the insole is made, and thereafter exerts a lifting and hugging action on the upper part of the ankle of the wearer.

Any desired tension can be placed on ,the elastic member 25 by the simple operation of lasting,

extending thru said slot and having one end, secured/ to the insole and the opposite end secured under tension to the upper materials substantiaflly above the insole, whereby a lifting yielding action is exerted on the foot-contacting part of the insole at the slotted portion.

HORACE PARKER GoULD. 

